Hi, I'd like to be able to swim. Right now I can freestyle 4 lengths of a 25 yard pool before I'm completely exhausted. I'm not fast either. Clearly I'm doing it wrong.
1. First of all, I breathe on only one side. I've tried the rotary breathing but not only does breathing on the other side feel awkward, I run out of air quickly and feel I'm drowning.
2. When I run out of air my body becomes all stiff and my legs sag. No matter how hard I try calming myself I can't get over the drowning sensation.
3. My legs do very little to propel me forward. I've used a board and a pull float and found that it takes almost twice as long for me to swim a lap with just my legs as compared to just my arms. Both are pretty slow.
4. I feel I have buoyancy issues. I cannot dead-float in a pool but I can do it in the ocean.
5. Last but not the least, I have allergy related asthma. I have a fleeting suspicion that chlorine triggers it.
Please help me swim. Thanks in advance for your help.
Parents
Former Member
Don't worry about how many lengths of the pool you can do. Your #1 concern should be getting the mechanics of swimming properly down. See if there are any coaches in your area; if not, check out videos on youtube of proper swimming technique and check out swimming books from your library.
Mastering the proper techniques of swimming is vital to avoid injuring yourself (pulled muscles, etc.), as well as, developing bad swimming habits (such as the pop-up breathing and double glance breathing - turning your head both ways before each cycle of strokes.
Also, take a non-drowsy antihistamine before getting into the pool. It will give you temporary relief from the allergic effects of the chlorine, but always have your rescue inhaler with you.
Don't worry about how many lengths of the pool you can do. Your #1 concern should be getting the mechanics of swimming properly down. See if there are any coaches in your area; if not, check out videos on youtube of proper swimming technique and check out swimming books from your library.
Mastering the proper techniques of swimming is vital to avoid injuring yourself (pulled muscles, etc.), as well as, developing bad swimming habits (such as the pop-up breathing and double glance breathing - turning your head both ways before each cycle of strokes.
Also, take a non-drowsy antihistamine before getting into the pool. It will give you temporary relief from the allergic effects of the chlorine, but always have your rescue inhaler with you.
